Compensator for signal-lines



2 SheetsSheet l.

(No Model.)

A. A. STROM.

GOMPENSATOR FOR SIGNAL LINES. No. 385,884. Patented July 10, 1888.

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R R R N4 PETERS, Phmo-um nu. 'Wuhingtw. DAL

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. A. STROM.

GOMPENSATOR FOR SIGNAL LINES.

Patented July 10, 1888.

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UNiTnn STATES PATENT Urrrce.

AXEL A. STROM, OF AUSTIN, ILLINOIS.

COMPENSATOR FOR SIGNAL-LINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,88 dated July 10, 1888.

Application filed llIarch 19, 1885.

To all 2071,0717, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, AXEL A. STROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in semaphores, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of railroad signaling devices commonly designated by the term semaphore; and it relates more particularly to a so-called loi'ig-distance semaphore, in contradistinction to the home semaphore, the latter being a signaling device located at the place of its operation, as near the station-house, at the switch, crossing, or the like, the condition of which is to be signaled to approaching trains, and the former being some distance away-say several thousand feetat another switch or crossing or at a curve, and actuated from the home device.

The main object of my present improvement is to provide a long-distance semaphore the signaling feature or features on which shall be caused to assume any of the desired positions by reliably-operating mechanism of simple construction.

To this end my invention consists in the general construction of my improved device, and it also consists in details of construction and combinations of parts.

In the drawings, Figure 1 presents in broken elevation two semaphores connected by an intermediate automatically-acting compensator, the semaphore at the left, which constitutes the home signal, having its spindle forming a continuation of the spindle of a switchstand provided to operate it, and that at the right being the long-distance signal. Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of abroken portion ofa form ofsemaphore employed in connection with myimprovement; Fig. 3,a section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, enlarged and viewed in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4, a section taken on the line 4 L of Fig. 1, enlarged and viewed in the direction of the arrows; Figs. 5 and 6, sections taken on the lines 5 5 and 6 6, respectively, of Fig. 1, enlargedand viewed in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 7, a viewin elevation of a standard and lever device, forming, as a modification, a substitute Serial No. 167,623. (No model.)

I for the home semaphore mechanism shown in Fig. 1, for operating the long-distance semaphore; Fig. 8, a plan view showing the top portion of the device illustrated in Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a view looking in the direction of the arrows 011 the line 9 9 of Fig. 1 and enlarged, and Fig. 10 a view in elevation showing a modification of the compensator.

A and A are semaphores, each involving the construction set forth in an application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 267,622, filed concurrently with the present application, and therefore forming no part of my present invention,whieh is not confined to any particular construction of semaphore. The construction shown involves in each device A and A a post, 1", provided with laterallyprojecting rungs 'r, to permit ready climbing of the post, a rotatory spindle, q, supported and confined in bearings in one side of the post, and carryingat its upper end a signallantern, q, and a weighted signal-ar m, p, pivoted to the post behind the spindle, and connected by a link, p,with a vertically-reciprocating rod or bar, 1 guided in suitable bearings on the post behind the spindle, and carrying at its lower end a roller or thimble, p engaged by a can], 0, on the spindle. Turning of the spindle in one direction causes the cam to engage with the thimble to force downward the rod or bar p and thereby, through the link 1), lower the scmaphorearmp to the safety position from its normally-horizontal position, to which it is returned on being released from the cam by turning the spindle in the opposite direction, and maintained in such position by the weight 011 the rear end of the arm.

As shown in Fig. 1, the spindle of the semaphore A,or home semaphore, (so termed by reason of its being near the place of opera tion, in contradistinetion to the long-distance semaphore A, which is two thousand feet, more or less, away from the first-named,) forms a continuation of the spindle of a switch-stand, B, at one side of the semaphorepost of an ordinary construction, and surmounted by a segmental table, at, having peripheral recesses n at the extremities of the throws of the droplever m, connected with the spindle, and operating, by turning the latter, to adjust the switchaails, with which the spindle is suit ably connected in a common manner. On the side of the post of the semaphore A opposite thatat which the switch-stand is located is a yertical rotatory spindle, Z, supported toward lts upper and lower ends in suitable bearings, 56, extending from the post. Near its upper end the spindle-Z carries a crank-arm, Z, connected by a link, Z", with acrank-arm, Z,on the spindle of the semaphore A. The lower end of the spindle Z carries a lever or double crank, 7r, the arms Z of which extend equal distances from the spindle, and are preferably bent slightly toward each other, as shown, to extend their rotary sweep with reference to the adjacent post. 4

Thespindle of the semaphore A is provided near its lower end, opposite the lever k, with asimilar lever or double crank, 70, and the corresponding arms of the two levers 7c and 7c are connected by cables 7c and 76 or equivalent means, which thereby, with the said levers, form a practically endless cable, one strand of which serves, through corresponding arms of the two levers, to permit rotation of both semaphore spindles in one direction, and the other, through the opposite corresponding arms, the rotation of the spindles in the opposlte direction, the respective movements of the spindles bringing the signals to their different positions of safety and dangerfi As the material of which the cables are formed is subject to expansion and contraction under the atmospheric influence to which it is exposed, itis necessary to provide means to' take up any expansion in order that there may be no lost motion, or to counteract the contraction to prevent interference therefrom wlth or inaccuracy in the operation of the semaphores, and more particularly the longdistance semaphore, dei'ectiveness in the opelation of either of which is obviously liable to be productive of disastrous consequences. Accordingly .I provide between the long-distance semaphore and the device from which it is operated a compensator, 0, comprising a rlgld post or standard, h, supporting toward its upper end in a laterally-projecting hearing, as, asheave, h, or equivalent device, a cable, h", extending around the sheave and carrying a counter-balance or weight, 7L3, at one extremity, a bar, It", secured to the opposite end of the cable 7L2 and movable vertically in lateral guides Won the post, and adraft-equalizing bar, pivoted centrally to thelower end of the bar It, and carrying at opposite extremities and at opposite sides of the extremities pendent sheaves f and f. The cables pass from one semaphore, A, (upon intermediate guide-sheaves, not shown, if the distance between the semaphorcs be sufficiently great to require the cables to be supported at intervals,) respectively under tension-pulleys e and e on a post, 0, between the home semaphore and compensator, and from the latter under similar pulleys on a post, d, to the semaphore A. Between the posts 0 and d the cable It passes from the pulley e on the former tendency to raise the bar It and equalizing-bar 9, takes up whatever slack there may be in the cables, or (owing to the pivotal nature of the cqualizingbar g) in either of them, and any contraction that may take place in the cables will cause them to be lengthened to that extent. by the consequent pulling efiect on the equalizingbar, and through it and the bar h on the weight, the resistance of which is much less than the resistance to rotation presented by the spindles which the cables connect when the spindles are locked in their set positions.

The operation is as follows: Turning the lever m at the switch-stand 13 to set the switchrails and the semaphore A simultaneously through the lever 70, cables kand Id, and lever It, sets the semaphore A, and whichever the direction of turning the lever m it is locked at the end'of the throw, thus also looking the semaphores by being dropped into the adjacent recess n in the periphery of the table it.

My invention includes the omission of the home semaphore A and the substitution of a standard or post, B, Fig. 7, from which to operate the long-distance semaphore, and carrying a peripherally-recessed table, n, and a drop-lever, m, connected by a crank-arm, Z, directly with the rotatory spindle Z, which is provided at its lower end with. the double crank k, from which the cables connect the operating-standard with the semaphore A.

The modification of the compensator shown in Fig. 10 presents a construction included within the spirit of my invention, and comprising simply a cable passing over a sheave on the standard or post, Weighted at one end and carrying at its opposite end a suitable sheave device to take the place of the sheaves f andf, and 'over which the cables pass.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a long-distance semaphore, A, having a double crank, it, on its rotatory spindle, a home operating device having a standard provided with a rotatory spindle, Z, carrying a double crank, it, cables k and k connecting corresponding arms of the said double cranks, and a compensator,.O, for the cables, located between the long-distance semaphore and home operating device, substantially as described.

2. The combination of along-distance semaphore, A, provided on its rotatory spindle with a double crank, 70, having its arms bent toward each other away from the semaphorepost, a home operating device having a standard provided with a rotatory spindle, Z, carrying a double crank, 70, having its arms bent toward each other away from the standard, cables k and 7c, connecting corresponding arms of the said double cranks, and a compensator, O, for the cables, located between the long-distance semaphore and home operating device, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a long-distance semaphore, A, having a double crank, 7c, on its rotatory spindle, a home operating device having a standard provided with a rotatory spindle, Z, carrying a double crank, 7a, a pcripherally-recessed table, a, and a drop-lever, at, connected with the spindle Z, cables 7; and k connecting corresponding arms of the said donble cranks, and a compensator, C, for the cables, located between the long-distance semaphore and home operating device, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a long-distance semaphore, A, having a double crank, k, on its rotatory spindle, a home semaphore, A, hav ing a rotatory spindle, Z, carrying a double crank, 7;, and connected with the rotatory spindle of the semaphore A by a link, Z joining crank-arms Z and Z, respectively on the spindleZ and the spindle of the semaphore A, cables is and 7.2, connecting correspondingarms of the said double cranks, and a compensator, C, for the cables, located between the semaphores A and A, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a long distance semaphore, A, and a home operating device, connected together by cables 7; and It, a compensator, 0, having a standard, 71, and a cable, It, supported on the standard and carrying a weight at one end, and connected at its opposite end with suitable sheaves, over which the said cables pass, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a longdistance semaphore, A, and a home operating device, connected together by cables It and k, a compensator, 0, having a standard, 71, a reciprocating bar, h, on the standard, controlled by a weight, h, a pivotal equalizingbar, g, on the lower end of the said reciprocating bar, and sheavcsfand f on the bar g, over which sheaves, respectively, the cables It" and If pass, substantially as described.

7. In combination with along-distancesemaphore, A, and a home operating device, connected together by cables 7; and 753, a compensator, 0, comprising astandard, l1, a'sheave,h,on the standard, a reciprocating bar, It, guided on the standard, a cable, 7r, passing over the sheave h and carrying at one end a weight, h, and connected at its opposite end with the bar It, and an equalizing-bar, g, pivoted to ward the lower end of the said reciprocating bar and carrying at opposite sides toward the extremities sheaves f and f, over which, respectively, the cables k and 7c pass, substantially as described.

8. In combination with along-distancesemaphore, A, and a home operating device, connected togetherby cables k" and it, an intermediate compensator, O, comprising a stand ard, l1, asheave, h, on the standard, a reciprocating bar, If, guided on the standard, a cable, It", passing over the sheave h and carryin g at one end a weight, h, and connected at its opposite end with the bar h, and an equalizing-bar, g, pivoted toward the lower end of the said reciprocating bar, and carrying at opposite sides, near the extremities, sheaves f andf, over which, respectively, the cables 76" and it pass, and posts 0 and d, respectively adjacent to the sheavesf and f, and provided each with tension-pulleys c and e for the said cables, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a long-distance semaphore, A, having a double crank, 70, on its rotatory spindle, a home semaphore, A, and a rotatory spindle, Z, carrying a double crank, 75, and connected with the rotatory spindle of the semaphore A by a link, Z joining crankarms Z and Z, respectively on the spindleZ and the spindle of the semaphore A, cables k and It, connecting corresponding arms of the said double cranks, a compensator, 0, located between the semaphores, and comprising a standard, h, a sheave, h, on the standard, a reciprocating bar, it, guided on the standard, a cable, h passing over the sheave h and carrying at one end a weight, its, and connected at its opposite end with the bar h, and an equalizing-bar, g, pivoted toward the lower end of the said reciprocating bar, and carrying at opposite sides, near the extremities, sheaves f and f, over which, respectively, the cables k and It pass, and posts e and d, respectively adjacent to the sheaves f and f, and provided each with tension-pulleys c and c for the said cables, substantially as de scribed.

AXEL A. STROM.

In presence of- J. W. DYRENFORTH, Gnas. E. GORTON. 

